For starters anytime there is fragrance listed on the ingredient label, that means it contains over 3,000 chemical ingredients in that one single scent. This includes natural fragrance as well.
Unfortunately, fragrance has become one of the most popular ingredients that is found in our personal care products, cleaning products, hand soap, diapers, baby wipes, laundry detergent, candles, food (yes you read that right), and the list goes on. But what many don’t know is that when being exposed to these toxic fragrances, it comes with many repercussions. Fragrance has become the new second hand smoke due to its harmful effects on the body. It’s been linked to endocrine (hormonal) disrupters, allergic reactions, asthma, migraines/headaches, skin rashes, congestion, nausea, and neurotoxic symptoms. Studies have shown that at least 1 in 3 people have reported symptoms when being exposed to fragrance. Ever walk down a perfume aisle and instantly feel overwhelmed, a headache, or anxiety? Those symptoms are our bodies response to protect itself from those toxic chemicals.
All fragrances, including those that say “natural” contain synthetic ingredients like benzene derivatives, phthalates, synthetic musks (nitro-musks & polycyclic musks), and parabens. All these synthetics ingredients are known to be endocrine disrupters and to some level of degree these synthetic ingredients can be carcinogenic (cancer causing ingredients).
The sad truth is that over 80 nations have stricter cosmetic regulations than the United States. Nations like the E.U, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Mexico, and even China. So why isn’t the U.S. on this list? Well this is because there hasn’t been much change since 1938 when the federal cosmetic law was enacted. The FDA does little to no regulation of prohibiting these toxic ingredients to be in our products and the IRFA (International Fragrance Association) allows traces of synthetic ingredients to be in their “natural” fragrances.
Under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act it’s required for companies to list all the ingredients so that consumers can make informed decisions of what they’re purchasing. But under that same Fair Packaging and Labeling Act it also allows for these companies to get away with not disclosing every single ingredient they use to create their fragrance. Quoted directly from the FDA page itself it says, “fragrance and flavor ingredients do not need to be listed individually on cosmetic labels, because they are the ingredients most likely to be “trade secrets.” Instead, they may be listed simply as “fragrance” or “flavor” (Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 701.3(a)).”
In other words these companies are being allowed to get away with putting toxic chemicals in these products simply because it’s their “trade secrets”. It’s unfortunate that the U.S. does little to no regulation of what goes in our products and food. But a simple solution to all of this is to simply avoid fragrance all together. By reading ingredient labels and purchasing products that are fragrance-free. This is the best way to avoid these toxic chemicals. So while it may be overwhelming to read labels or even trust a product, don’t be discouraged. There are other options out there, with true honest businesses that care.
Here at Inner Joy, we care about what goes in our product and on our skin. We have products that are completely fragrance free and family friendly. We have minimal products that contain only high quality essential oils that have been tested. We only use high quality ingredients that are effective, and believe in quality over quantity.